Grew up in Orlando (Longwood area) and I honestly couldn't imagine growing up anywhere else. I moved away to Texas for work for 20 years, but just recently moved back as I missed Orlando. However, a LOT has changed in that time. Orlando itself is still a great city, but the mass migration of folks from significantly more expensive parts of the country is destabilizing the region. I'm not faulting anyone leaving California or New York, but when you can sell your house for 500k-1M, you are naturally going to price a lot of native Floridians out of the market. I've had childhood friends that finally had to move out of Orlando because they couldn't find a house that wasn't sold for 75k-150k over asking price. Don't even get me started on apartments.
im from Orlando 28 yrs. i was bullied at UCF and they covered up serious criminal activity. the slander caused me to lose all friends or potential friends there. there are much better areas to live. i have lived in the Greenville SC area Muskegon MI area, Asheville NC, Greeneville TN areas. These areas i would rather be from or have lived than Orlando. and they are more scenic.
I fantasize about once a week of moving to Orlando Florida. I’m a born and raised lifelong Chicagoan. I’m 43 now, so obviously, I’m completely acclimated and used to our winters here, but I still can’t stand them. I would love to move my family down to Florida and for some reason in particular Orlando. However, I just don’t think my wife will go for it because of the heat factor. But the fact that we could probably get an absolutely amazing house for like $600K is just so appealing. And for me personally, I would not mind that hot, humid weather at all! Much better than 6+ months of miserable cold dreary weather that’s for sure!!!
As a recently retired 60 year old from Md ,..I totally enjoy watching Nick's videos because he usually makes you think long and hard about moving to any area. They all look and sound good on paper,...or in the brochures,...but,..that is never the whole story. If I ever move to a new area most likely I would only rent,...it gives you the flexability to get out easy if need be.Seeing areas that used to be nice that now suck always made me nervous.
@@angeldetierra3855 I retired at 60, you just have to plan for your expenses, save money, I vest wisely. Mine was especially difficult because my ex got half my retirement and I had to pay taxes on it, plus about a half a mil for courts, lawyers, fees and associated expenses... and I was a Blu collar guy.
I moved back. My house is newly renovated near Metrowest. The saving grace is I work permanently from home. It takes a special type of person to live here. Tons of restaurants and things to do exist here. We are more than theme parks, but they have made our city what is today.
I’ve been watching your videos for a while and was excited to see this one today. I was born and raised in downtown Orlando. Lived here almost my entire life and can’t see myself living anywhere else. It has been changing so much recently and becoming way too overcrowded but it still has nice qualities. There’s a lot of beautiful nature trails and parks that only the locals really visit. Also you will almost never get bored with everything there is to do here. Probably my favorite thing is that it’s in the middle of Florida and I can drive a couple hours in any direction to so many other cities.
I live in North Orlando, in an area called Sanford/Lake Mary/Heathrow it’s all one area. Not to toot my own horn, but it’s by far one of the nicest areas to live and raise a family in Orlando.
….you speak the Truth…! Kinda surprised that neither of you, Nick, delved into the northern area as much time you spent in Mickey’s playground…! Of course it was Disney that raised Orlando from a population of 44M to couple million in short time….!
I will comment from a tourist’s perspective. Watching this brought back many fond memories of summer holidays. I was there 3 times (2006,2007 and 2009) on family holidays as a teenager. Coming from Scotland, it’s almost like a right of passage to go to Florida at least once on your summer holidays just to experience it. The Orlando area is a paradise for tourists, you’ll never get bored, no matter what your interests are. Theme parks, golf, shopping, entertainment, restaurants, nature, it’s all there. I actually enjoyed the weather as well because the combination of baking heat and spectacular thunderstorms is something we just never experience in Scotland. What I will say is that it’s a very active type of holiday, if you are more accustomed to “lazy” holidays by the pool or on the beach then it would be a waste of time going to Orlando. I can remember even back then that everywhere you went was hugely busy, I can’t imagine what it must be like in the present day if the area has grown 30% in the last decade. It must be very frustrating for the locals who just want to get on with their own lives.
I'll put it this way: I was conceived here in 1944, born in Alabama 1945, then back @ 3 mos in late 1945. I'm a native by my standards. My first memories are orange blossoms filling the night air, punctuated with the aroma of dairy cows....odd combination. I began first grade in 1951 at Killarney Elem in Winter Park, graduated from high school in the College Park area in 1963. I attended UCF when it was FTU years later. I now live in Sanford, N of Orlando, & have been a Disney artistic services contractor for 3 decades. Much of what you see there was executed by my talented associates. We have created eye candy in all of the parks and resorts at some point in time. At 76, I still consider it PLAY! I'll stop when I'm no longer able, either physically or cognitively. Orlando and its environs have changed immensely through my life. I can remember hitching posts and water troughs on Broadway Ave in Kissimmee interspersed between angle parking spaces as a child, which persisted until my teens (early 60's). The S Orange Blossom Trail was a collection of cattle ranches & cypress swamps south of what is now the Beach Line. Clermont was a collection of hills covered with orange groves as far as the eye could see. My father's 1st cousin was the mayor of Oviedo during the late 1950s, and owned a muck farm where he grew celery & cabbage. It's now a shopping center. Nick, your video is largely accurate with some glaring and short-sighted omissions , but overall well presented. You simply haven't been around long enough to fully understand the full transitions that have occurred here. This town has become a dynastic multi-cultural metropolis with a Black, White, Latin, Asian, Southern, & Caribbean fusion of ethnicities that have bonded together quite successfully. I've watched this my entire life, learning different dialects & accents, clothing patterns & behaviors since high school. Where else can you find such a polyglot of cultures? NY, LA, Chicago, Miami, & thers lack at least one of these aspects; we have them all here!
I absolutely love your spirit and your writing style! I'm thirty years your junior and my inner child totally wants to follow you around calling out "and then what happened? Can you tell me a story about your life? More! Then what happened?!" Love hearing about real life people's stories from their own perspective. My mom told great stories about just ordinary days and she passed away almost a year ago and I feel like someone burned a library down to the ground because she had a way of letting everyone else in her stories being sympathetic characters and even if they were not doing the best thing ever she would make it so I understood some people don't know better or maybe the person who robbed the place was starving etc I guess they were age appropriate because I remember the story of getting robbed and I asked her about it after I was actually an adult and she said oh well that was because you were four I think I told you guys that he was starving. Probably just a junkie looking for a fix for real," and my skull fell out. Haha 😆
Orlando used to be a smaller town that was beautiful with orange groves pasture land etc. Now it's crowded, overrated, crime filled and too many northern transplants. It's rare to meet someone from Orlando because you'll know everyone is a transplant lol all they say is "back home.." "I miss back home.." "I'm homesick.." etc so a lot of these northern transplants are trying to make orlando and Florida like their home state. Overpriced also. Many Orlando natives will tell you how the city used to be. Great video Nick and shout out to Florida natives!
…my wife was born (1960) and raised in Orlando, FLORIDA..! (Population 44,000,.) Stories she would tell me were kinda classic,….that OBT (Orange Blossom Trail), was named such cause the Orange Groves use to ‘cuddle’ about the Street, of OBT…! The aroma of ORANGE WAS IMMENSE,…hence,..OBT…! Got it…? Now times have changed…. Go figure…!
Lived there in the 70's. Yeah, I remember the wonderful smell of the orange blossoms. You could drive right down the middle of downtown, roll down your car windows and smell the orange blossoms. It was known as the City Beautiful back then.
@@harmon1286 I was born in the late 60s at Florida Hospital and remember the orange groves. I had an uncle (by marriage) who was a supervisor for migrant workers. Yep Orlando is different now.
Central Florida has been growing incredibly fast. We've been documenting the area on our channel for the past several months. There's an astounding amount of new construction coming up everywhere and prices have been going up faster than I've ever seen! People wanting to movie here, it's beautiful, no snow, and no restrictions.
I lived in a few apartments in Orange County over 13 years, but for the last 10 years I’ve lived in a townhouse in Casselberry. We have new neighborhoods and a school surrounding my neighborhood that weren’t there before, and then industrial areas down the road. In my county, I would say that Altamonte Springs, Longwood and Casselberry are middle class, Oviedo is a little richer, Lake Mary and Heathrow are the richest, and Sanford is the hood.
Born and raised in orlando. It has changed tremendously in 77 years. Have old memories of town with one mall, 3 high schools. Prior to Disney. It had changed and not for the good.
@@Itswateva are we living in the same Orlando?? Wages here are shit and cost of living has skyrocketed since I graduated HS in 2018, tell me how someone that earns $10 an hour is supposed to afford houses that are 300k + and gas at $4.20 😥
@@KK-jl8em Someone who earns $10 per hour shouldnt expect to buy a house until they learn a new skill and get a job with that new skill that pays them more money. Its as simple as that. Going to buy my 2nd house in Orlando next year and ill be 26 by then.
Orlando is a big city, not so much by population but by landmass. It's not a traditional city so much as a massive suburb. If you move there you'll likely end up in one of the nicer pockets on the outskirts. Best thing about Orlando: The variety of restaurants. Orlando has a huge asian population, vietnamese, cantonese, taiwanese etc. and they have great authentic restaurants over in Little Saigon which is the heart of the city imo. Lots of carribbean food options as well; decent haitian, dominican, jamaican puerto rican etc.. Then you have lots of unique hipster-ran restaurants scattered around and of course near Disney you will find luxurious and novelty restaurants that appeal to tourists. Worst part of Orlando: The layout. The place is really spread out and all the best stuff is on the outer ring of the city. You're going to find some cool restaurant/store/event and it's gonna be on the exact other side of the city. You NEED to take the toll-roads here because that's the only road that cuts straight through without red lights every 2 minutes. They are totally worth it, buy a Sunpass for the auto-pay and enjoy driving 80mph nonstop on beautifully landscaped highways that are surrounded by ponds and forests even though they cut right through the city.
So true. Orlando sprawl is horribly laid out. So much stuff on I-4 and toll roads that it takes an hour to get anywhere without a highway. The food, downtown, the theme parks (if you're into it), the Latin culture, and the proximity to beaches and other cities are the positives.
Lived 15 years near Orlando.......only been few times in the city. And every time stuck in the traffic jam. Think about good food and fun in Orlando......... I'd rather think twice.
I love little Saigon. Or little Vietnam whatever it’s called. Little Saigon market is my favorite shop. Also the one with the lions out front. So much fun going shopping there and finding cool stuff.
I used to complain about paying tolls to drive anywhere important - then I realized how messed up I-4 is and decided toll roads were certainly worth it.
Being a native Floridian a lot of people from Miami moved to Orlando in the 90's especially after hurricane Andrew. Which transformed Orlando to a more trendy city with more night life.
As a native central Florida resident I found this video very accurate. Been living in the southeast/airport area for most of my life. Everything is booming here. I remember when most roads were 1 lane in each side and seeing fields, orange groves, cow's and horses. You still see them, but just not as much. There are Amazon warehouses here, also lots of engineering, healthcare and more than just tourist employees. The taxes are low. The traffic is better than most bigger cities and I-4 I never use, use the toll Expressway or back roads. I can make it across town in 20 minutes, and our speed limit is much higher than the average city. Car insurance here is the highest rate than any other. But like you said, so many people bring their driving habits here, definitely have to be observant and keep your distance. 👍🏽 **Edit MUST HAVE A CAR!
I'm not sure if anybody else has mentioned this, but the first big boom for the Orlando area was not Disney but when the Kennedy Space Center was built at Cape Canaveral. I'm told that many of the people working there would commute in from Orlando. In fact, the state founded UCF (then it was FTU, Florida Technological University) just east of Orlando in order to support the space industry. Orlando was a on it's way to becoming a tech industry town before Disney landed.
I would like to place a note here about UCF student population. All 70k something students do not reside in this city. If this was true there would be huge logistical issues every school year. UCF student confirmed.
Just want to clarify what I was talking about in regards to Kissimmee being better now than it was. When Orlando started booming as a tourist destination, Kissimmee, particularly around highway 192, was developed mostly by mom and pop businesses. Over time as big hotel and restaurant chains moved into the area, in addition to Disney building their own on property budget hotels, the mom and pop businesses in Kissimmee could not keep up. There was also a huge demand for affordable housing for all the workers of the hotels/restaurants/parks which Kissimmee started to bare the brunt of since it was more affordable, but since it had lost a lot of its businesses it didn't have the tax revenue to keep up with the escalating costs. When the recession hit, it hit Kissimmee particularly hard and things were looking bad, someone even made a movie about it (I will say the movie focuses on one stretch of road in 192 that is the worst, certainly not all of Kissimee was like that). I used to live in Kissimmee and am very familiar with it, and also was a student at Valencia Osceola Campus . In no way were the people that live there bad I apologize if it came across that way. It had bad circumstances that weren't adressed properly by the local governments.
Eisner saw Bob Snow and Kittinger flying biplanes over D writing in smoke, "Rosie O'Grady's" and had a fit! Promptly, Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village was transferred into Pleasure Island. I know all about this stuff if you want an insider interview.
40 yr old Orlando native here! I've lived in each corridor of Orlando in my lifetime. I now reside by UCF...go Knights! Easiest way to say it, you can have your million dollar home but once you leave your community you could be right in the hood. Dont hang out by west orlando around colonial. OBT, Crime hills, Kissimmee is spotty with hoods, north west orlando Apopka is um not so desireable. East side, Union Park, Azalea Park Semoran Ave all getto Puerto Rican. Gets better as you go more east toward UCF. Better have 100 bucks a month for tolls to get anywhere. Better have 500k to buy a home in a decent neighborhood. You can find decent jobs if you have a bachelor's degree otherwise you are making 10-15 hr
Apopka is not a bad area, it’s one of the biggest suburbs of Orlando and has nice communities. It’s south Apopka that’s a hood, but it’s not even dangerous. Nothing really goes on there.
I've lived in many places over the years, so it is hard to call any one place "home." I moved down here (from Jacksonville at the time) to work for Disney and eventually bought a house in the Hunter's Creek area. We actually lived off 192 near Four Corners area for a couple years when we first came down. I really enjoyed the touristy feel - I felt like I was on vacation all the time. But yeah, it was hard to find a home we liked and could afford in that area. I ended up buying a house on the OBT side of Hunter's Creek that was a bank owned property - so I got a great deal. I have to say that I've come to enjoy Orlando and central Florida much more that I thought I would. I really liked Jacksonville too, so perhaps I'm easy to please or I manage to pick the good parts of town to live in. Either way, each city or area I live in - I try to find the good aspects as much as possible and enjoy the area while I'm there. One of the best parts of Orlando is the easy access to the rest of the state, sans the Panhandle (a bit further drive). I've made several trips to Tampa, Jacksonville, numerous beaches on both coasts, Miami and the Keys. The rest of the country is easily accessible via reasonable airfare (one of the benefits of being a destination city). And, the local news is usually entertaining.
I love Orlando Florida so much, I want to live there! I'm so thankful I watched this video because I've learned the Pros and Cons about living in Orlando Florida. One thing I want to be aware of is the hurricane, Insurance for the rent, and putting gas for my car before I deal with traffic. I miss Disney World Animal Kingdom so much! I haven't been there since 2011 and I would like to work for them as a Zookeeper to make a lot of money or become a millionaire because it is beautiful there. I could also enjoy and spend time at the Swimming pool, Roller Coasters and watching the parade at Magic Kingdom. I additionally want to move to Orlando or Kissimmee Florida because I've been dreaming about this since I was a kid and I'm looking forward to it for the future!
I just moved from an a high rise in the middle of Downtown Orlando to Horizon West. Downtown is nice but there is a very bad homeless and drug problem, even in the nice parts of downtown. I've been followed countless times, harassed and never felt safe. I loved having the experience of living there but wasn't for me long term. I'm now in Horizon West and its much safer, quiter and very green. My husband works in Winter Park and its such a beautiful area.
@@pdg61met I mean, it's nice because it's quiet. I can see it being kind of insane in a couple of years with all of the new construction. I don't know about Disney obsessed? A lot of cast members live here because its convenient but other than that I've never seen anything Disney obsessed unless you are literally going to go to Disney.
I believe Orlando can be for all. You can find areas that are wide open lands if your into having animals, horses, chickens etc. And urban areas if you want to bike and walk everywhere. The heat is pretty much the game changer, that's my opinion
As a Miamian, I was impressed with the Asian culture on Colonial Drive in Orlando. Used to live on the west coast, Florida is lacking Asian folks, especially here in South Florida
Go to Asian Kitchen 1 or 2 in Miami. Its fire and Pad Thai or Curry dishes are $13. If u go to 2 its pick up but u can eat there. Most fire thai food in Miami for a good price. But i agree we need more asians down here!
I'm Asian, and that's a bummer to here. Was hoping to be around mostly Asian and White folks since im moving down south with my family. Oh well, gotta make do
@@kugelschreiber5678 Parkland is expensive, but has East and South Asians from all over. Pembroke Pines has Chinese and Vietnamese. Small populations, but it’s growing
I have lived in Davenport for 13 years and I can say it has grown so much. The house price used to be low $100k when I first got here now it’s mid $200k. But I love it here and wouldn’t move even with the crappy traffic. But being a car lover it’s great to driver your car all year and not have to put away for the winter. Great video!!!
Fun fact… a lot of folks don’t realize that yes, OBT sucks down here, it’s actually US 441…it is actually the road that goes through North Carolina and Tennessee and is the main road through the Smoky Mountains National Park! The more you know…
I live in Kissimmee and your information on Florida cities is accurate. It is HOT, HUMID most of the time and you'd best have a skill if you are moving here from somewhere else. Lots of homeless and not just bums, lots of families who move here and run out of money and beg on corners. Every intersection has someone begging. I will say your videos of the city and surrounding areas are spectacular. Anywhere in central Florida is beautiful but only if you are flying over it.
I literally moved here to Orlando in April from Dallas Texas just to become a Disney world vlogger with the dream of being at Disney world everyday. Legit a thing.
As a european I don’t understand why many americans prefer plantless , sterile lawns. If I had a lawn this size I would turn it into a cottage garden 😂
Many times, it’s the upkeep, as well as the cost of maintaining and watering a lush lawn that prevents people from having those types of lush, green lawns. In some parts of the country, water is very expensive; therefore forcing people to give up their lawns for something cheaper and easier to maintain.
Spot On Nick! As well as your Winter Garden resident interview. Dude spoke For Real, quite knowledgeable about the difference between surrounding Orlando suburbs. TY. Kissmmee(24/7 Hispanic channel!) resident 15 yrs here so I would wholeheartedly agree w most if not all his assessments. The PULL of the theme parks is For Real. People do move here to work at Disney. Am not a theme park person, so am with ya Nick! Got over it quite quickly. The only thing I would add is about the weather. Debilitating. Life threatening it can be this heat and humidity that from about Memorial weekend thru Halloween, YES, Oct 31stI, really really sucks. 😩As we speak, temp is 89 degrees w 60% humidity. Never mind the almost daily Thunderstorms and sideways rain that turns on June 1st thru the end of October! So the seasons here are 2, Raining or Not Raining. Cherry on top is being a possible Bullseye for hurricanes thru Nov 1st. Yes, I do have anxiety after living thru Hurricane Irma in 2017 and getting sideswiped by numerous tropical storms over the years. Bottom line, not my cup of tea, coming from Northern California. It might be yours though! 👍😁Thanks again Nick.
How about in 2004 when we had 3 major hurricanes hit back to back? On the 3rd one we lost power for 6 days. Crazy times. Blue tarps were on roofs everywhere you looked.
We moved to Orlando in 2002, and then returned to Utah in 2003. I worked in child welfare while there, which was the field I worked in before and after Orlando. Good description of the areas. I have family in western Kissimmee, and I really like the area. Part of where I worked was Parramore, which you aptly described as ghetto, but the people were nice folks, just having less income. We haven't been higher income ourselves.
We live Davenport,FL and it's getting huge quickly here! We are in a gated community with 5 kids and we love it here! We avoid I4 much as possible but sometimes u have no choice! Being so close to Disney ( one exit away) has it pros and cons!! Beautiful little area over here!
I agree that the Lake Mary/Heathrow area is nice.Winter Garden/Windermere/Horizon West is all good.Celebration is definitely nice and even though Kissimmee has improved it's still not the safest place and Celebration is right next door so living in Celebration is not going to be crime free.
i4 has been under construction since i moved to florida in 2002 xD down town kissimmee is POPPING these days.. they redid the marina as a park for all to enjoy and its blown up ever since. its great
Orlando area resident of about 5 years. We live about 18 miles north of downtown. I would include Lake Mary, Longwood, & Heathrow in that mix of nice subs to raise a family. Big tech hub in Lake Mary/Heathrow right along I-4. We're close enough to the hub bub, yet in our own area. And nearby Sanford has a very cool, hip downtown.
Lived between Kissimmee and Poinciana from ‘88-‘03…had a great job and loved living there. Had Disney annual passes for 15 years. I miss living in Florida.
I live in Orlando and this videos was 💯 accurate lol. Incredible work. Orlando used to be affordable but now you have to be rich. It's sad what's happened here but really the whole country. Absolute madness with living costs
Cris Cozy 2 minutes ago (edited) I'm from The Bronx. My mom moved to Orlando in 2001. I live in Lake Nona and really love this area. Here is my opinion of O-town. Family Oriented Beautiful Beaches Lots to do People have 2-3 Jobs Pay is low Cost Of living is expensive Orlando is working on becoming the next tech hub. They have some great brewery locations and the food is ok you have to find the gems. The heat is blazing and we do miss the seasons. Real estate is definitely something everyone does in orlando. Our favorite thing about orlando is the beaches. Personally I would not retire in orlando. This is a driving state and if you can't drive or have a car your done! Tip: Try to make at least 80k-100k a year and your comfortable.
I'm moving to Orlando in May after I graduate college and I've been watching a lot of videos about the area. This video has been one of my favorites! You're hilarious!
Shout out to Nick for using 80’s game show theme songs and representing the 80’s period. I’m also turning into a serious Mappy fan. I may have to order me a Mappy mug. \m/
Is it just me or does Nick Johnson seem to like to talk about the bad parts of cities. During his interview with the Orlando resident he seemed bored talking about the positives of Orlando. Nick seemed like he really wanted to talk about the bad, the Orlando resident seemed like a really nice and positive guy (which is unusual if you've watched Nick's other interviews in past videos) and didn't give Nick the response he seemed to be looking for. Still Nick is hilarious...even though he is a lowkey hater.😂😂😂
i have alot of bad to say about Orlando. UCF is a criminal institution . and id rather drive thru Detroit than OBT, Semoran or even Orange ave. its just gritty and the heat is oppressive. people arent friendly. people you make friends with dont stick around. theyd rather ditch you because of false slander by UCF and their huge Title IX violation of a predator ring. from there age 0 - 28. UCF and general crime and predatory sickoes hanging out ruined my home city. ive been to Detroit and people there are much nicer.
Living in the Tampa Bay area myself and Orlando’s climate being very similar, I can assure you that it is never “in the 30’s” during any two week stretch in the winter. It ‘may’ dip down to the 30’s for a few ‘hours’ for a couple of nights if a robust cold front comes down the peninsula but daytime winter temps during the cold snaps will still be in the 50’s and 60’s and rebound to the 70’s within 3-4 days.
@@PETER394100 plz don't, tampa is awful atm, i made such a huge mistake coming down here months ago, im looking forward to going back home where normal is " normal " and not seeing needles and drunks all over downtown all the time.
I Love this city! One thing I noticed about Orlando is the shops and stores are so much bigger than back home on the east. It was a big shock seeing a subway in it's own building a few sizes smaller than a Wendy's. There was also a perfume like scent when I stood by the pretty lakes.
As a native Floridian. Been here my whole life. I hate it. Can't wait to move and never ever return to Central Florida. Disney and people have ruined this state!
lived in florida kissimmee and west palm beach - 10 years.....left....still miss it sometime....PROS: weather, Churches, beaches, coasts, big cities (Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville) then a few miles down the road nice and rural...Long drives with car to cruise, good restaurants-lots to choose from, great wildlife - gators, manatees, panthers, etc..cool to see, Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, etc...Daytona 500, car shows, Sports teams, Football, College and Pro Football, Spring Training, Nightlife, no snow, .............CONS: Lower wages, lack of quality healthcare and doctors, southern inefficiency, bad attitudes from southerners and Floridians, Puerto Rican gangs, emphasis on Spanish language and culture, Expensive housing, Hurricanes, insects, bugs, small lizards running around, a feeling of "NO CULTURE", Lots of wealthy, elderly people, and snowbirds that are arrogant, no change of seasons, that state just gets on your nerves after awhile...
Now that I'm retired, visiting Florida is a bucket list that sadly will probably never happen. I have a feeling that whatever joy it would bring me, would be tempered by dealing the insane crowds.
Ive watched this video a couple times and it's great however as someone who grew up in the northern Orlando suburbs I need to clarify more than a few things. The theme parks are definitely in south Orlando aligned heavily with the Kissimmee area. West Orlando is anything north of Disney and west of downtown which includes pine hills, Parramore, Apopka, ocoee, winter garden in orange county specifically, including anywhere in lake county. Anything north of downtown, anywhere in Seminole county and southern Volusia county is what's considered north Orlando, which includes the posh Orlando suburb of Baldwin park, the city of winter park, Maitland, Altamonte springs, oviedo, and any other part of Seminole county and southern Volusia county like debary, DeLand, Deltona, lake Helen, and orange city are all what's considered north Orlando. South Orlando is anywhere south of downtown which includes all the theme parks and anywhere in Osceola county like Kissimmee and st cloud
@@MB-fr6gu lots of good places. In Orlando proper, I would say Baldwin park and lake Nona. Maitland, winter park,and Windermere are good orange county cities. Elsewhere I would say DeLand, lake Maryz Longwood, or anywhere in Seminole county besides Cassel berry
It’s definitely nice to be able to go to Universal Studios and then go home at the end of the day. If you’re a FL resident, you get that sweet Florida discount.
I worked in Kissimmee for 15 years. Now that I'm retired, I won't return. It's getting better, but it's almost all section 8 housing. Lake Nona is the nice place to live.
@@mabelclayton.....imsinglew6997 that's false statement he made. Kissimmee is FILLED with newer homes that range over 200k easily. People try and say Kissimmee is some bad area and it's nice. Lots of friends that live there that are nurses
Clearwater is a hundred miles from Orlando. One of I-4’s nicknames is “Thunderdome”. I’m on the coast in St. Petersburg and I avoid I-4 like the plague. Orlando traffic is ludicrous!
I am a Orlando born native who lived 15 years in Atlanta and another city and then back to Orlando. Orlando has nothing on Atlanta when it comes to traffic.
@@blackbette07 Exactly,if youve driven in enough big cities you know Orlando traffic is cake when compared to those.I spent 35 minutes just sitting to pay a toll on the Bay bridge in San Francisco,it took me like 2 hours to go like 30 miles.Same with Miami traffic,like minimum 90 minutes to go 30 miles during rush hour,Orlando is still nowhere near that,theres some areas the traffic stacks up and during Christmas it will be worse but never on those other cities level.
@@kyliCatherine1 Im was born and raised here. Its definitely a better location to raise a family and just visit/work in Orlando/Tampa. We have the LPD and Sheriff Grady Judd’s iron dome of justice.
Orlando Native of 40 years . My Wife and I are packing and leaving for Greener S. Carolina Pastures . Orlando and Florida in general has become totally overcrowded , Over Developed , and extremely expensive . We have witnessed the City Beautiful become anything but . The Roads have become dangerous 8 Lane Race Tracks . While Crime is becoming Rampant almost everywhere . So , you Tourists can have it . We're headed where Life can still be taken relatively slow . And the roads are still 2 lane .
Orlando is one of my favorite cities, while I don’t live there nor have I ever lived in Orlando but, I could do Orlando because while I’m not so pressed about being right next to the theme parks I don’t mind driving same for the beaches on either coast. I live in St.Lucie county in Port Saint Lucie which is south of Orlando about 2 1/2 hours or so. The traffic, I-4, and the drivers can be quite rough to deal with especially if you have low tolerance but hey I guess you get use to it. The humidity is something else I’ll tell ya, I’m originally from Newport News, VA and have lived on other parts of VA and even lived in Atlanta, GA but I must say that humidity will hit you like a bad habit especially if you’re at the theme parks in the heat of day, as there’s not much shade, but I’m not found of extreme cold or snow so I’ll deal with heat, humidity and constant rain during the wet season. While I can talk and give my own input on Orlando in more depth overall I would say it’s a decent city with identity mostly because of the tourism background, while it has its problems I wouldn’t say it’s the worst, but the transportation infrastructure is definitely something that needs attention. It’s like Mr.Johnson said “it’s not for everybody but no place is”.
Completely accurate description. Was an early resident of Horizon West. The amount of construction and new homes going up is unreal. Got to be excessive for me, sold my house for almost double what I paid 3 years ago. Crazy……
Awesome video, Nick. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I lived in Orlando and other parts of Central Florida for many years. Though I have family and friends there, it’s fine to visit but I wouldn’t move back. And I-4 will always have construction 🚧 work being done on it. Otherwise, it would fall apart. 😆
When I was born in Orlando, there were barely 50K people in the city and less than 120K in all of Orange County. Pine Hills was a brand new and attractive subdivision, and the tallest building in town was ten stories. I don't live far away in FL, but I haven't been back in a long time.
Of all of the major metropolitan statistical areas in Florida, Tampa Bay has probably changed the most over the last 20 years - culturally, employment mix, etc.
I haven't been to Orlando since 2007. Forgot to mention the airport (MCO). Interstate 4 has a lot of traffic because people are too cheap to pay tolls. It's a good place to retire. Orlando is like Las Vegas but with more family friendly entertainment. International drive is like the Las Vegas strip but less busy along with Disney Sea World Universal and I drive 360 nearby.
You are my bus entertainment from the Catskill Mountains back to NYC in traffic Watching now with closed captioning -thumbs up ! I like the maps. Put Mappy in a Disney costume. I was in Orlando visiting family when it was first being built up. The interviews are great and make this channel unique Orlando with a massive sprawl set up. NYC has issues but we do have excellent transportation. No car needed.
Here's my entire Florida Playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLq-_cmf3H6yox4qW3D-Zm5Zen1mSmFWTi.html
Grew up in Orlando (Longwood area) and I honestly couldn't imagine growing up anywhere else. I moved away to Texas for work for 20 years, but just recently moved back as I missed Orlando. However, a LOT has changed in that time. Orlando itself is still a great city, but the mass migration of folks from significantly more expensive parts of the country is destabilizing the region. I'm not faulting anyone leaving California or New York, but when you can sell your house for 500k-1M, you are naturally going to price a lot of native Floridians out of the market. I've had childhood friends that finally had to move out of Orlando because they couldn't find a house that wasn't sold for 75k-150k over asking price. Don't even get me started on apartments.
Plz what is the best place for middle age
@@MB-fr6gu Longwood or Seminole County
Came home from Winter Park Hospital to Longwood in 1980. I had the best childhood with Windsor Manor and Woodlands as my stomping grounds
The Federal Reserve is the Root of the problem.
im from Orlando 28 yrs. i was bullied at UCF and they covered up serious criminal activity. the slander caused me to lose all friends or potential friends there. there are much better areas to live. i have lived in the Greenville SC area Muskegon MI area, Asheville NC, Greeneville TN areas. These areas i would rather be from or have lived than Orlando. and they are more scenic.
I fantasize about once a week of moving to Orlando Florida. I’m a born and raised lifelong Chicagoan. I’m 43 now, so obviously, I’m completely acclimated and used to our winters here, but I still can’t stand them. I would love to move my family down to Florida and for some reason in particular Orlando. However, I just don’t think my wife will go for it because of the heat factor. But the fact that we could probably get an absolutely amazing house for like $600K is just so appealing. And for me personally, I would not mind that hot, humid weather at all! Much better than 6+ months of miserable cold dreary weather that’s for sure!!!
As a recently retired 60 year old from Md ,..I totally enjoy watching Nick's videos because he usually makes you think long and hard about moving to any area. They all look and sound good on paper,...or in the brochures,...but,..that is never the whole story. If I ever move to a new area most likely I would only rent,...it gives you the flexability to get out easy if need be.Seeing areas that used to be nice that now suck always made me nervous.
► I thought I had to be at least 62?
@@angeldetierra3855 I retired at 60, you just have to plan for your expenses, save money, I vest wisely. Mine was especially difficult because my ex got half my retirement and I had to pay taxes on it, plus about a half a mil for courts, lawyers, fees and associated expenses... and I was a Blu collar guy.
@@jamestartisel2527 ► I feel your pain. Hope you're enjoying your retirement!
@@angeldetierra3855 The earliest you can collect S.S is 62,.......but you can retire whenever you want.
@@Tonymanero1960 ► ...That's right!
I moved back. My house is newly renovated near Metrowest. The saving grace is I work permanently from home. It takes a special type of person to live here. Tons of restaurants and things to do exist here. We are more than theme parks, but they have made our city what is today.
Having been raised just outside of Orlando from a toddler into my 20's I will always have a soft spot for central FL!
I truly missed these intros.
Me too
I really missed LoL..
I’ve been watching your videos for a while and was excited to see this one today. I was born and raised in downtown Orlando. Lived here almost my entire life and can’t see myself living anywhere else. It has been changing so much recently and becoming way too overcrowded but it still has nice qualities. There’s a lot of beautiful nature trails and parks that only the locals really visit. Also you will almost never get bored with everything there is to do here. Probably my favorite thing is that it’s in the middle of Florida and I can drive a couple hours in any direction to so many other cities.
I live in North Orlando, in an area called Sanford/Lake Mary/Heathrow it’s all one area. Not to toot my own horn, but it’s by far one of the nicest areas to live and raise a family in Orlando.
Good to know amber
….you speak the Truth…! Kinda surprised that neither of you, Nick, delved into the northern area as much time you spent in Mickey’s playground…! Of course it was Disney that raised Orlando from a population of 44M to couple million in short time….!
Agreed. They don’t know
I'm looking to relocate to Orlando from NY, not yet sure of what areas are what just yet. Thanks for that
That's a diff county so part of Metro Orlando but def not North Orlando
Love how you are trying to turn each question negative , yet your guest spins it and makes it positive.
I will comment from a tourist’s perspective. Watching this brought back many fond memories of summer holidays. I was there 3 times (2006,2007 and 2009) on family holidays as a teenager. Coming from Scotland, it’s almost like a right of passage to go to Florida at least once on your summer holidays just to experience it. The Orlando area is a paradise for tourists, you’ll never get bored, no matter what your interests are. Theme parks, golf, shopping, entertainment, restaurants, nature, it’s all there. I actually enjoyed the weather as well because the combination of baking heat and spectacular thunderstorms is something we just never experience in Scotland.
What I will say is that it’s a very active type of holiday, if you are more accustomed to “lazy” holidays by the pool or on the beach then it would be a waste of time going to Orlando. I can remember even back then that everywhere you went was hugely busy, I can’t imagine what it must be like in the present day if the area has grown 30% in the last decade. It must be very frustrating for the locals who just want to get on with their own lives.
I'll put it this way: I was conceived here in 1944, born in Alabama 1945, then back @ 3 mos in late 1945. I'm a native by my standards. My first memories are orange blossoms filling the night air, punctuated with the aroma of dairy cows....odd combination. I began first grade in 1951 at Killarney Elem in Winter Park, graduated from high school in the College Park area in 1963. I attended UCF when it was FTU years later. I now live in Sanford, N of Orlando, & have been a Disney artistic services contractor for 3 decades. Much of what you see there was executed by my talented associates. We have created eye candy in all of the parks and resorts at some point in time. At 76, I still consider it PLAY! I'll stop when I'm no longer able, either physically or cognitively.
Orlando and its environs have changed immensely through my life. I can remember hitching posts and water troughs on Broadway Ave in Kissimmee interspersed between angle parking spaces as a child, which persisted until my teens (early 60's). The S Orange Blossom Trail was a collection of cattle ranches & cypress swamps south of what is now the Beach Line.
Clermont was a collection of hills covered with orange groves as far as the eye could see. My father's 1st cousin was the mayor of Oviedo during the late 1950s, and owned a muck farm where he grew celery & cabbage. It's now a shopping center.
Nick, your video is largely accurate with some glaring and short-sighted omissions , but overall well presented. You simply haven't been around long enough to fully understand the full transitions that have occurred here. This town has become a dynastic multi-cultural metropolis with a Black, White, Latin, Asian, Southern, & Caribbean fusion of ethnicities that have bonded together quite successfully. I've watched this my entire life, learning different dialects & accents, clothing patterns & behaviors since high school.
Where else can you find such a polyglot of cultures? NY, LA, Chicago, Miami, & thers lack at least one of these aspects; we have them all here!
I absolutely love your spirit and your writing style! I'm thirty years your junior and my inner child totally wants to follow you around calling out "and then what happened? Can you tell me a story about your life? More! Then what happened?!" Love hearing about real life people's stories from their own perspective. My mom told great stories about just ordinary days and she passed away almost a year ago and I feel like someone burned a library down to the ground because she had a way of letting everyone else in her stories being sympathetic characters and even if they were not doing the best thing ever she would make it so I understood some people don't know better or maybe the person who robbed the place was starving etc I guess they were age appropriate because I remember the story of getting robbed and I asked her about it after I was actually an adult and she said oh well that was because you were four I think I told you guys that he was starving. Probably just a junkie looking for a fix for real," and my skull fell out. Haha 😆
Born and raised my entire life in Central Florida and this is an extremely accurate video! I love your map haha, well done with this one! 😄
I forgot to add Universal Studios there's to so much to do in Orlando Florida lots of jobs to be had
Thank you for blessing my middle school years with Pixel gun 3D vids
No it's not lol
I've been all around the world and Orlando is still my favorite place! Lived here for 35 years
I grew up in Orlando in the 80’s and we moved away and listening to this guy I just want to cry 😭.
When I think Of Orlando, FL, I think of Universal Studios!
Orlando used to be a smaller town that was beautiful with orange groves pasture land etc. Now it's crowded, overrated, crime filled and too many northern transplants. It's rare to meet someone from Orlando because you'll know everyone is a transplant lol all they say is "back home.." "I miss back home.." "I'm homesick.." etc so a lot of these northern transplants are trying to make orlando and Florida like their home state. Overpriced also. Many Orlando natives will tell you how the city used to be. Great video Nick and shout out to Florida natives!
…my wife was born (1960) and raised in Orlando, FLORIDA..! (Population 44,000,.)
Stories she would tell me were kinda classic,….that OBT (Orange Blossom Trail), was named such cause the Orange Groves use to ‘cuddle’ about the Street, of OBT…! The aroma of ORANGE WAS IMMENSE,…hence,..OBT…!
Got it…?
Now times have changed…. Go figure…!
Lived there in the 70's. Yeah, I remember the wonderful smell of the orange blossoms. You could drive right down the middle of downtown, roll down your car windows and smell the orange blossoms. It was known as the City Beautiful back then.
@@harmon1286 I was born in the late 60s at Florida Hospital and remember the orange groves. I had an uncle (by marriage) who was a supervisor for migrant workers. Yep Orlando is different now.
👍
Central Florida has been growing incredibly fast. We've been documenting the area on our channel for the past several months. There's an astounding amount of new construction coming up everywhere and prices have been going up faster than I've ever seen! People wanting to movie here, it's beautiful, no snow, and no restrictions.
@@philadelphian7814 Small price to pay.
@@mirzaahmed6589 you're right
I lived in a few apartments in Orange County over 13 years, but for the last 10 years I’ve lived in a townhouse in Casselberry. We have new neighborhoods and a school surrounding my neighborhood that weren’t there before, and then industrial areas down the road. In my county, I would say that Altamonte Springs, Longwood and Casselberry are middle class, Oviedo is a little richer, Lake Mary and Heathrow are the richest, and Sanford is the hood.
Don't ever change your intro music. Every time I hear it, it makes me feel like I'm in an old time TV sitcom I love it lol.
Born and raised in orlando. It has changed tremendously in 77 years. Have old memories of town with one mall, 3 high schools. Prior to Disney. It had changed and not for the good.
Oh please u probably wanted it to stay quiet and boring. Economic growth is good for every city
@@Itswateva not true,no longer live there, now lots of crime, shootings everyday
@@Itswateva are we living in the same Orlando?? Wages here are shit and cost of living has skyrocketed since I graduated HS in 2018, tell me how someone that earns $10 an hour is supposed to afford houses that are 300k + and gas at $4.20 😥
@@KK-jl8em Someone who earns $10 per hour shouldnt expect to buy a house until they learn a new skill and get a job with that new skill that pays them more money. Its as simple as that. Going to buy my 2nd house in Orlando next year and ill be 26 by then.
@@bluebird7664 The crime isnt that bad compared to other cities. Orlando is prospering lol.
Orlando is a big city, not so much by population but by landmass. It's not a traditional city so much as a massive suburb. If you move there you'll likely end up in one of the nicer pockets on the outskirts.
Best thing about Orlando: The variety of restaurants. Orlando has a huge asian population, vietnamese, cantonese, taiwanese etc. and they have great authentic restaurants over in Little Saigon which is the heart of the city imo. Lots of carribbean food options as well; decent haitian, dominican, jamaican puerto rican etc.. Then you have lots of unique hipster-ran restaurants scattered around and of course near Disney you will find luxurious and novelty restaurants that appeal to tourists.
Worst part of Orlando: The layout. The place is really spread out and all the best stuff is on the outer ring of the city. You're going to find some cool restaurant/store/event and it's gonna be on the exact other side of the city. You NEED to take the toll-roads here because that's the only road that cuts straight through without red lights every 2 minutes. They are totally worth it, buy a Sunpass for the auto-pay and enjoy driving 80mph nonstop on beautifully landscaped highways that are surrounded by ponds and forests even though they cut right through the city.
So true. Orlando sprawl is horribly laid out. So much stuff on I-4 and toll roads that it takes an hour to get anywhere without a highway.
The food, downtown, the theme parks (if you're into it), the Latin culture, and the proximity to beaches and other cities are the positives.
Lived 15 years near Orlando.......only been few times in the city. And every
time stuck in the traffic jam. Think about good food and fun in Orlando......... I'd rather think twice.
I love little Saigon. Or little Vietnam whatever it’s called. Little Saigon market is my favorite shop. Also the one with the lions out front. So much fun going shopping there and finding cool stuff.
I used to complain about paying tolls to drive anywhere important - then I realized how messed up I-4 is and decided toll roads were certainly worth it.
Being a native Floridian a lot of people from Miami moved to Orlando in the 90's especially after hurricane Andrew. Which transformed Orlando to a more trendy city with more night life.
As a native central Florida resident I found this video very accurate. Been living in the southeast/airport area for most of my life. Everything is booming here. I remember when most roads were 1 lane in each side and seeing fields, orange groves, cow's and horses. You still see them, but just not as much. There are Amazon warehouses here, also lots of engineering, healthcare and more than just tourist employees. The taxes are low. The traffic is better than most bigger cities and I-4 I never use, use the toll Expressway or back roads. I can make it across town in 20 minutes, and our speed limit is much higher than the average city. Car insurance here is the highest rate than any other. But like you said, so many people bring their driving habits here, definitely have to be observant and keep your distance. 👍🏽
**Edit MUST HAVE A CAR!
Hello 👋
I was just going to ask about public transportation..
I agree, I live right next to the airport and Lake Nona :0
I'm not sure if anybody else has mentioned this, but the first big boom for the Orlando area was not Disney but when the Kennedy Space Center was built at Cape Canaveral. I'm told that many of the people working there would commute in from Orlando. In fact, the state founded UCF (then it was FTU, Florida Technological University) just east of Orlando in order to support the space industry. Orlando was a on it's way to becoming a tech industry town before Disney landed.
Interesting!
I would like to place a note here about UCF student population. All 70k something students do not reside in this city. If this was true there would be huge logistical issues every school year. UCF student confirmed.
Just want to clarify what I was talking about in regards to Kissimmee being better now than it was. When Orlando started booming as a tourist destination, Kissimmee, particularly around highway 192, was developed mostly by mom and pop businesses. Over time as big hotel and restaurant chains moved into the area, in addition to Disney building their own on property budget hotels, the mom and pop businesses in Kissimmee could not keep up. There was also a huge demand for affordable housing for all the workers of the hotels/restaurants/parks which Kissimmee started to bare the brunt of since it was more affordable, but since it had lost a lot of its businesses it didn't have the tax revenue to keep up with the escalating costs. When the recession hit, it hit Kissimmee particularly hard and things were looking bad, someone even made a movie about it (I will say the movie focuses on one stretch of road in 192 that is the worst, certainly not all of Kissimee was like that). I used to live in Kissimmee and am very familiar with it, and also was a student at Valencia Osceola Campus . In no way were the people that live there bad I apologize if it came across that way. It had bad circumstances that weren't adressed properly by the local governments.
Hello Brad
Eisner saw Bob Snow and Kittinger flying biplanes over D writing in smoke, "Rosie O'Grady's" and had a fit! Promptly, Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village was transferred into Pleasure Island. I know all about this stuff if you want an insider interview.
I've been researching relocation to the Orlando area for over a year and this is by far the most informative video thus far.
40 yr old Orlando native here! I've lived in each corridor of Orlando in my lifetime. I now reside by UCF...go Knights! Easiest way to say it, you can have your million dollar home but once you leave your community you could be right in the hood. Dont hang out by west orlando around colonial. OBT, Crime hills, Kissimmee is spotty with hoods, north west orlando Apopka is um not so desireable. East side, Union Park, Azalea Park Semoran Ave all getto Puerto Rican. Gets better as you go more east toward UCF. Better have 100 bucks a month for tolls to get anywhere. Better have 500k to buy a home in a decent neighborhood. You can find decent jobs if you have a bachelor's degree otherwise you are making 10-15 hr
Apopka is not a bad area, it’s one of the biggest suburbs of Orlando and has nice communities. It’s south Apopka that’s a hood, but it’s not even dangerous. Nothing really goes on there.
I've lived in many places over the years, so it is hard to call any one place "home." I moved down here (from Jacksonville at the time) to work for Disney and eventually bought a house in the Hunter's Creek area. We actually lived off 192 near Four Corners area for a couple years when we first came down. I really enjoyed the touristy feel - I felt like I was on vacation all the time. But yeah, it was hard to find a home we liked and could afford in that area. I ended up buying a house on the OBT side of Hunter's Creek that was a bank owned property - so I got a great deal. I have to say that I've come to enjoy Orlando and central Florida much more that I thought I would. I really liked Jacksonville too, so perhaps I'm easy to please or I manage to pick the good parts of town to live in. Either way, each city or area I live in - I try to find the good aspects as much as possible and enjoy the area while I'm there. One of the best parts of Orlando is the easy access to the rest of the state, sans the Panhandle (a bit further drive). I've made several trips to Tampa, Jacksonville, numerous beaches on both coasts, Miami and the Keys. The rest of the country is easily accessible via reasonable airfare (one of the benefits of being a destination city). And, the local news is usually entertaining.
Florida news is always entertaining
I love Orlando Florida so much, I want to live there! I'm so thankful I watched this video because I've learned the Pros and Cons about living in Orlando Florida. One thing I want to be aware of is the hurricane, Insurance for the rent, and putting gas for my car before I deal with traffic. I miss Disney World Animal Kingdom so much! I haven't been there since 2011 and I would like to work for them as a Zookeeper to make a lot of money or become a millionaire because it is beautiful there. I could also enjoy and spend time at the Swimming pool, Roller Coasters and watching the parade at Magic Kingdom. I additionally want to move to Orlando or Kissimmee Florida because I've been dreaming about this since I was a kid and I'm looking forward to it for the future!
It’s always nice to wake up and seeing a Nick Johnson video, sets me up for the rest of the day. Mad respect man
I just moved from an a high rise in the middle of Downtown Orlando to Horizon West. Downtown is nice but there is a very bad homeless and drug problem, even in the nice parts of downtown. I've been followed countless times, harassed and never felt safe. I loved having the experience of living there but wasn't for me long term. I'm now in Horizon West and its much safer, quiter and very green. My husband works in Winter Park and its such a beautiful area.
Ok Jocelyn thanks!
I'm from Orlando too as soon as u leave downtown that goes away... all the druggie congregate around Central Ave and across downtown....
Horizon west… Another transplant, Disney obsessed area with zero history. No thanks
I have been to Amtrak in Orlando many times for Christmas from Raleigh NC and have family pick me up to go to Cocoa Beach.Last time was 2015.
@@pdg61met I mean, it's nice because it's quiet. I can see it being kind of insane in a couple of years with all of the new construction. I don't know about Disney obsessed? A lot of cast members live here because its convenient but other than that I've never seen anything Disney obsessed unless you are literally going to go to Disney.
I guess I’m odd ball. My family has lived in the Orlando area for 3 generations since when my grandfather moved to Orlando in WW2
Yeah that's good
My great grandfather came from North Florida around turn of 20th century to Orlando area. He settled in Winter Park. We are rare birds indeed
I believe Orlando can be for all. You can find areas that are wide open lands if your into having animals, horses, chickens etc. And urban areas if you want to bike and walk everywhere. The heat is pretty much the game changer, that's my opinion
Yep... as a brazilian I can say we really love Orlando! Thanks for the video, Nick!!
I saw alot of Brazilians the last time I went to Disney World!
Thank God you're here and not in Brazil at the moment!!
As a Miamian, I was impressed with the Asian culture on Colonial Drive in Orlando. Used to live on the west coast, Florida is lacking Asian folks, especially here in South Florida
Go to Asian Kitchen 1 or 2 in Miami. Its fire and Pad Thai or Curry dishes are $13. If u go to 2 its pick up but u can eat there. Most fire thai food in Miami for a good price. But i agree we need more asians down here!
Yeah I was saying the same thing when I went to Miami! Like no Asians at all for some reason lol
I'm Asian, and that's a bummer to here. Was hoping to be around mostly Asian and White folks since im moving down south with my family. Oh well, gotta make do
@@kugelschreiber5678 Lol. Remember it’s Miami. Main thing you should expect is Latinos lol.
And then Blacks/Jamaicans. Then whites.
@@kugelschreiber5678 Parkland is expensive, but has East and South Asians from all over. Pembroke Pines has Chinese and Vietnamese. Small populations, but it’s growing
the way Orlando is going now, in 20 to 30 years, all the street signs are going to be in Spanish
Good
Which is why I’m leaving!
LMAO!
@@chrcors01 If I didn't have my family here in the Orlando area and Tampa area, I would have been gone a long time ago.
I was born and raised in Orlando and your right not to many of us left and watched this city grow fast
I have lived in Davenport for 13 years and I can say it has grown so much. The house price used to be low $100k when I first got here now it’s mid $200k. But I love it here and wouldn’t move even with the crappy traffic. But being a car lover it’s great to driver your car all year and not have to put away for the winter. Great video!!!
Fun fact… a lot of folks don’t realize that yes, OBT sucks down here, it’s actually US 441…it is actually the road that goes through North Carolina and Tennessee and is the main road through the Smoky Mountains National Park! The more you know…
My daughter moved here in June to go to college but she got homesick and came back home to good ole O-H-I-O ♥️
I live in Kissimmee and your information on Florida cities is accurate. It is HOT, HUMID most of the time and you'd best have a skill if you are moving here from somewhere else. Lots of homeless and not just bums, lots of families who move here and run out of money and beg on corners. Every intersection has someone begging. I will say your videos of the city and surrounding areas are spectacular. Anywhere in central Florida is beautiful but only if you are flying over it.
Kissimeee is overpacked ! Traffic is terrible over here . Stop moving over here ✋
I'm moving there from Chicago.
I literally moved here to Orlando in April from Dallas Texas just to become a Disney world vlogger with the dream of being at Disney world everyday. Legit a thing.
Every day? Wow.
As a european I don’t understand why many americans prefer plantless , sterile lawns. If I had a lawn this size I would turn it into a cottage garden 😂
Many times, it’s the upkeep, as well as the cost of maintaining and watering a lush lawn that prevents people from having those types of lush, green lawns. In some parts of the country, water is very expensive; therefore forcing people to give up their lawns for something cheaper and easier to maintain.
Spot On Nick! As well as your Winter Garden resident interview. Dude spoke For Real, quite knowledgeable about the difference between surrounding Orlando suburbs. TY. Kissmmee(24/7 Hispanic channel!) resident 15 yrs here so I would wholeheartedly agree w most if not all his assessments. The PULL of the theme parks is For Real. People do move here to work at Disney. Am not a theme park person, so am with ya Nick! Got over it quite quickly. The only thing I would add is about the weather. Debilitating. Life threatening it can be this heat and humidity that from about Memorial weekend thru Halloween, YES, Oct 31stI, really really sucks. 😩As we speak, temp is 89 degrees w 60% humidity. Never mind the almost daily Thunderstorms and sideways rain that turns on June 1st thru the end of October! So the seasons here are 2, Raining or Not Raining. Cherry on top is being a possible Bullseye for hurricanes thru Nov 1st. Yes, I do have anxiety after living thru Hurricane Irma in 2017 and getting sideswiped by numerous tropical storms over the years. Bottom line, not my cup of tea, coming from Northern California. It might be yours though! 👍😁Thanks again Nick.
How about in 2004 when we had 3 major hurricanes hit back to back? On the 3rd one we lost power for 6 days. Crazy times. Blue tarps were on roofs everywhere you looked.
Hello
Lived here 15 years. Hunter's Creek 7yrs and then Lake Nona 8yrs, Lake Nona is awesome!
lol I did the opposite I left Laurette park and wanted more yard and better parks for the kids Found Lake Calabay love it here in Hunter Creek.
We moved to Orlando in 2002, and then returned to Utah in 2003. I worked in child welfare while there, which was the field I worked in before and after Orlando. Good description of the areas. I have family in western Kissimmee, and I really like the area. Part of where I worked was Parramore, which you aptly described as ghetto, but the people were nice folks, just having less income. We haven't been higher income ourselves.
We live Davenport,FL and it's getting huge quickly here! We are in a gated community with 5 kids and we love it here! We avoid I4 much as possible but sometimes u have no choice! Being so close to Disney ( one exit away) has it pros and cons!! Beautiful little area over here!
2:20 that map is hilariously accurate 😭😭
I agree that the Lake Mary/Heathrow area is nice.Winter Garden/Windermere/Horizon West is all good.Celebration is definitely nice and even though Kissimmee has improved it's still not the safest place and Celebration is right next door so living in Celebration is not going to be crime free.
i4 has been under construction since i moved to florida in 2002 xD down town kissimmee is POPPING these days.. they redid the marina as a park for all to enjoy and its blown up ever since. its great
I'm looking to move to the area. Coming from NYC. Is there like a civil service work force ? We just call it city workers here.
Orlando area resident of about 5 years. We live about 18 miles north of downtown. I would include Lake Mary, Longwood, & Heathrow in that mix of nice subs to raise a family. Big tech hub in Lake Mary/Heathrow right along I-4. We're close enough to the hub bub, yet in our own area. And nearby Sanford has a very cool, hip downtown.
Lived between Kissimmee and Poinciana from ‘88-‘03…had a great job and loved living there. Had Disney annual passes for 15 years. I miss living in Florida.
I live in Orlando and this videos was 💯 accurate lol. Incredible work. Orlando used to be affordable but now you have to be rich. It's sad what's happened here but really the whole country. Absolute madness with living costs
Cris Cozy
2 minutes ago (edited)
I'm from The Bronx. My mom moved to Orlando in 2001. I live in Lake Nona and really love this area. Here is my opinion of O-town.
Family Oriented
Beautiful Beaches
Lots to do
People have 2-3 Jobs
Pay is low
Cost Of living is expensive
Orlando is working on becoming the next tech hub. They have some great brewery locations and the food is ok you have to find the gems.
The heat is blazing and we do miss the seasons. Real estate is definitely something everyone does in orlando. Our favorite thing about orlando is the beaches. Personally I would not retire in orlando. This is a driving state and if you can't drive or have a car your done!
Tip: Try to make at least 80k-100k a year and your comfortable.
I'm moving to Orlando in May after I graduate college and I've been watching a lot of videos about the area. This video has been one of my favorites! You're hilarious!
Orlando and Kissimmee are like 99% Hispanic, I know because I’m here right now.
I love the intro song it reminds me of a old TV show
Nick you are spot on again with your detailed review of area. 👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏
Do you live there?
@@NickJohnson no further south but have been there many many times
You ever do one about living in Miami area will give you lowdown about it
Shout out to Nick for using 80’s game show theme songs and representing the 80’s period. I’m also turning into a serious Mappy fan. I may have to order me a Mappy mug. \m/
I had the Mappy Land Nintendo game. Thanks for the memories
Orlando is a great place to live. I have a home there in northwest Orando in Winter Garden. It's upper middle class and I love it there.
Is it just me or does Nick Johnson seem to like to talk about the bad parts of cities. During his interview with the Orlando resident he seemed bored talking about the positives of Orlando. Nick seemed like he really wanted to talk about the bad, the Orlando resident seemed like a really nice and positive guy (which is unusual if you've watched Nick's other interviews in past videos) and didn't give Nick the response he seemed to be looking for. Still Nick is hilarious...even though he is a lowkey hater.😂😂😂
i have alot of bad to say about Orlando. UCF is a criminal institution . and id rather drive thru Detroit than OBT, Semoran or even Orange ave. its just gritty and the heat is oppressive. people arent friendly. people you make friends with dont stick around. theyd rather ditch you because of false slander by UCF and their huge Title IX violation of a predator ring. from there age 0 - 28. UCF and general crime and predatory sickoes hanging out ruined my home city. ive been to Detroit and people there are much nicer.
Kissimmee has been a Puerto Rican enclave since at least the 90s.
Kissimmee has been heavily Latino since before I arrived in 81.
@@renechang2406 right thats like moving to texas or california where everyone is almost mexican
Living in the Tampa Bay area myself and Orlando’s climate being very similar, I can assure you that it is never “in the 30’s” during any two week stretch in the winter. It ‘may’ dip down to the 30’s for a few ‘hours’ for a couple of nights if a robust cold front comes down the peninsula but daytime winter temps during the cold snaps will still be in the 50’s and 60’s and rebound to the 70’s within 3-4 days.
Ok so it's in the 30s then
@@NickJohnson…….would love to see you do one on “Unboxing the Tampa Bay area”!
@@PETER394100 plz don't, tampa is awful atm, i made such a huge mistake coming down here months ago, im looking forward to going back home where normal is " normal " and not seeing needles and drunks all over downtown all the time.
Your map with comments at 3:19 is spot on!
Opening line about Puerto Ricans lol. Absolutely hilarious!!!
I Love this city!
One thing I noticed about Orlando is the shops and stores are so much bigger than back home on the east. It was a big shock seeing a subway in it's own building a few sizes smaller than a Wendy's. There was also a perfume like scent when I stood by the pretty lakes.
Huh maybe it's chemicals
Orange blossoms maybe?
Probably orange blossoms if it was March or April or maybe jasmine.
Born and raised in orlando and just moved to St Pete beach, best decision I’ve ever made .
As a native Floridian. Been here my whole life. I hate it. Can't wait to move and never ever return to Central Florida. Disney and people have ruined this state!
lived in florida kissimmee and west palm beach - 10 years.....left....still miss it sometime....PROS: weather, Churches, beaches, coasts, big cities (Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville) then a few miles down the road nice and rural...Long drives with car to cruise, good restaurants-lots to choose from, great wildlife - gators, manatees, panthers, etc..cool to see, Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, etc...Daytona 500, car shows, Sports teams, Football, College and Pro Football, Spring Training, Nightlife, no snow, .............CONS: Lower wages, lack of quality healthcare and doctors, southern inefficiency, bad attitudes from southerners and Floridians, Puerto Rican gangs, emphasis on Spanish language and culture, Expensive housing, Hurricanes, insects, bugs, small lizards running around, a feeling of "NO CULTURE", Lots of wealthy, elderly people, and snowbirds that are arrogant, no change of seasons, that state just gets on your nerves after awhile...
Now that I'm retired, visiting Florida is a bucket list that sadly will probably never happen. I have a feeling that whatever joy it would bring me, would be tempered by dealing the insane crowds.
Ive watched this video a couple times and it's great however as someone who grew up in the northern Orlando suburbs I need to clarify more than a few things. The theme parks are definitely in south Orlando aligned heavily with the Kissimmee area. West Orlando is anything north of Disney and west of downtown which includes pine hills, Parramore, Apopka, ocoee, winter garden in orange county specifically, including anywhere in lake county. Anything north of downtown, anywhere in Seminole county and southern Volusia county is what's considered north Orlando, which includes the posh Orlando suburb of Baldwin park, the city of winter park, Maitland, Altamonte springs, oviedo, and any other part of Seminole county and southern Volusia county like debary, DeLand, Deltona, lake Helen, and orange city are all what's considered north Orlando. South Orlando is anywhere south of downtown which includes all the theme parks and anywhere in Osceola county like Kissimmee and st cloud
Plz what is the best place for middle age
@@MB-fr6gu lots of good places. In Orlando proper, I would say Baldwin park and lake Nona. Maitland, winter park,and Windermere are good orange county cities. Elsewhere I would say DeLand, lake Maryz Longwood, or anywhere in Seminole county besides Cassel berry
It’s definitely nice to be able to go to Universal Studios and then go home at the end of the day. If you’re a FL resident, you get that sweet Florida discount.
Love 💕 the background ( intro music) ! Makes me dance 🕺!
GREETINGS FROM PALM SPRINGS CALIFORNIA NICK!! 😎👍🌴🌴
I like Palm Springs a lot
I worked in Kissimmee for 15 years. Now that I'm retired, I won't return. It's getting better, but it's almost all section 8 housing.
Lake Nona is the nice place to live.
Wow that's good .. I'm glad for you James
@@mabelclayton.....imsinglew6997 that's false statement he made. Kissimmee is FILLED with newer homes that range over 200k easily. People try and say Kissimmee is some bad area and it's nice. Lots of friends that live there that are nurses
Wow where are you from?
@@mabelclayton.....imsinglew6997 I live in east Orlando
@@nomadrican4406 I'm from Chicago Illinois....I wish to know you more than this
Clearwater is a hundred miles from Orlando. One of I-4’s nicknames is “Thunderdome”. I’m on the coast in St. Petersburg and I avoid I-4 like the plague. Orlando traffic is ludicrous!
Streets are crazy there. All different directions
I am a Orlando born native who lived 15 years in Atlanta and another city and then back to Orlando. Orlando has nothing on Atlanta when it comes to traffic.
@@blackbette07 Exactly,if youve driven in enough big cities you know Orlando traffic is cake when compared to those.I spent 35 minutes just sitting to pay a toll on the Bay bridge in San Francisco,it took me like 2 hours to go like 30 miles.Same with Miami traffic,like minimum 90 minutes to go 30 miles during rush hour,Orlando is still nowhere near that,theres some areas the traffic stacks up and during Christmas it will be worse but never on those other cities level.
You should make a vid on Lakeland, FL; Its the sweet spot between Orlando and Tampa. Keep up the great content and more Mappy please!
Yesss I love Lakeland!
@@kyliCatherine1 Im was born and raised here. Its definitely a better location to raise a family and just visit/work in Orlando/Tampa. We have the LPD and Sheriff Grady Judd’s iron dome of justice.
A 3 minute video.
I wouldn’t live in Polk County for all the money in China
I want to move to Lakeland. I really don't like Orlando, it is too big now. I spent 20 years in Atlanta and Bay Area and I am sick of large cities.
Orlando Native of 40 years . My Wife and I are packing and leaving for Greener S. Carolina Pastures . Orlando and Florida in general has become totally overcrowded , Over Developed , and extremely expensive . We have witnessed the City Beautiful become anything but . The Roads have become dangerous 8 Lane Race Tracks . While Crime is becoming Rampant almost everywhere . So , you Tourists can have it . We're headed where Life can still be taken relatively slow . And the roads are still 2 lane .
What part of SC did you move to?
sounds like you're just ready to retire and ofc a big city isn't the place. smh..
People from Orlando; remind me of People in Hawaii. They have a love-hate relationship with tourists
Im from Ohio and I now live in Atlanta and I want to move but just browsing right now . Thanks for the video !
Orlando is one of my favorite cities, while I don’t live there nor have I ever lived in Orlando but, I could do Orlando because while I’m not so pressed about being right next to the theme parks I don’t mind driving same for the beaches on either coast. I live in St.Lucie county in Port Saint Lucie which is south of Orlando about 2 1/2 hours or so. The traffic, I-4, and the drivers can be quite rough to deal with especially if you have low tolerance but hey I guess you get use to it. The humidity is something else I’ll tell ya, I’m originally from Newport News, VA and have lived on other parts of VA and even lived in Atlanta, GA but I must say that humidity will hit you like a bad habit especially if you’re at the theme parks in the heat of day, as there’s not much shade, but I’m not found of extreme cold or snow so I’ll deal with heat, humidity and constant rain during the wet season. While I can talk and give my own input on Orlando in more depth overall I would say it’s a decent city with identity mostly because of the tourism background, while it has its problems I wouldn’t say it’s the worst, but the transportation infrastructure is definitely something that needs attention. It’s like Mr.Johnson said “it’s not for everybody but no place is”.
Is sex trafficking bad out there? Why no one talking about that?
I lived in a few different areas in Orlando from 2000 to 2008. This video is spot on.
They always are
@@NickJohnson OK champ lol. Mighty smug response but OK
Don't New York my Orlando.
New York best city
That will NEVER happen.
We have more money than you so shut the ** up
@Debirah DiPerna don't New York and don't California my Reno, NV! Yes, we have the same problem out here, unfortunately!
@@niceandflyy Hell naw
My sister and I were suppose to go to Orlando, FL last summer but COVID.
You reeled me in with the Mickey ears😂
Fun fact. If Disney would not have come to Orlando, Sanford would have been Is more populated and more built than Orlando is today possibly
True!! I was told it mostly because the bugs were a lot worse right off lake Monroe so they went a bit south to build the city.
Completely accurate description. Was an early resident of Horizon West. The amount of construction and new homes going up is unreal. Got to be excessive for me, sold my house for almost double what I paid 3 years ago. Crazy……
Awesome video, Nick. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I lived in Orlando and other parts of Central Florida for many years. Though I have family and friends there, it’s fine to visit but I wouldn’t move back. And I-4 will always have construction 🚧 work being done on it. Otherwise, it would fall apart. 😆
It's growing so fast!
Lived in Apopka. Parents are still there. Every time I visit, less orange groves. I HATE I-4! LOL!
@@NickJohnson tones of jobs and great place to study, a wide range of courses available, from trade schools to academics
When I was born in Orlando, there were barely 50K people in the city and less than 120K in all of Orange County. Pine Hills was a brand new and attractive subdivision, and the tallest building in town was ten stories. I don't live far away in FL, but I haven't been back in a long time.
Please do Tampa next!
Of all of the major metropolitan statistical areas in Florida, Tampa Bay has probably changed the most over the last 20 years - culturally, employment mix, etc.
It would take 10 years to cover Pinellas & Hillsborough with traffic.
I haven't been to Orlando since 2007. Forgot to mention the airport (MCO). Interstate 4 has a lot of traffic because people are too cheap to pay tolls. It's a good place to retire. Orlando is like Las Vegas but with more family friendly entertainment. International drive is like the Las Vegas strip but less busy along with Disney Sea World Universal and I drive 360 nearby.
Hello Albert
@@mabelclayton.....imsinglew6997 hi there
How are you doing today
@@mabelclayton.....imsinglew6997 pretty good
@@albertsancho5909 okay that's good.. where are you from Albert?
Orlando is straightup venezuelens working at half price
Can I get an update on this?
Can I get an update on this?
Unboxing Miami, FL would be a good one
You are my bus entertainment from the Catskill Mountains back to NYC in traffic
Watching now with closed captioning -thumbs up !
I like the maps.
Put Mappy in a Disney costume.
I was in Orlando visiting family when it was first being built up.
The interviews are great and make this channel unique
Orlando with a massive sprawl set up. NYC has issues but we do have excellent transportation. No car needed.
The subscribers want more Mappy!
@@Tonymanero1960 I told Nick he should put Mappy in a Disney costume.
Honestly the map was spot on
"Is orlando all Puerto Ricans? "
Nah, lot of Haitians and venezuelans in the mix too
Right lol im Puerto Rican and i see ALOT of Ricans, Hatians, Dominicans, Brazilians, Asians, Europeans…. Orlando is veryyy mixed
@@jaynyce5923 I'm white, I haven't seen another white person in over a month.
Was all PR 15 years ago
rare native Orlandoian here, since 1952
Thanks for this video. I work for Disney (in Los Angeles) and I'm considering moving to Orlando. This is very helpful!
No tents anywhere, though there are few homeless folks, but nothing like out west at all.